To shoot or not to shoot, that is the question

Thursday

Feb 24, 2011 at 12:01 AMFeb 24, 2011 at 6:29 PM

Back in January, photographer Nicole Cvetnic and I found ourselves waiting in the office of Utica police spokesman Sgt. Steve Hauck for about an hour one day after another interview subject's arrival was delayed by the weather.

Courtney Potts

Back in January, photographer Nicole Cvetnic and I found ourselves waiting in the office of Utica police spokesman Sgt. Steve Hauck for about an hour one day after another interview subject's arrival was delayed by the weather.

One of the things we talked about to kill time was the difficult, split-second decisions police officers have to make in the course of their job -- such as whether or not to shoot someone.

It's an issue that, indirectly at least, dominated some of the major local headlines from 2010. Rome police Officer Donald Moore shot and killed a gunman who opened fire inside the New York Mills AT&T store in May. Blossvale resident Adam Theall, who later pleaded guilty to murder, was shot multiple times by state police after he killed his infant son in June. And in July, Oneida County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Burger was shot in the ankle by a fleeing bank robber before Burger even had a chance to draw his gun.

It's also an issue that often makes the national news: In December, a Long Beach, Calif., man who had been drinking was shot to death by police while pointing a garden hose nozzle at them, according to media reports.

And that is why those decisions are so difficult, Hauck said back in January. Jumping the gun, if you'll excuse the pun, can result in the death of innocent people -- but so can hesitating. Already this year, at least 29 officers have been killed in the line of duty.

Hauck and I have been talking since about arranging a time for me to try the shooting simulator used to test officers' reaction times -- showing me firsthand what they're up against. Nothing's finalized yet, but I'm looking forward to telling you more about it down the road. To be continued...